MS-13 gang member sentenced to 30 months in prison for unlawful re-entry

Alexandria, Virginia - A Mara Salvatrucha (MS-13) gang member, who was previously deported to El Salvador on two occasions, was sentenced Friday to 30 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release for unlawful re-entry after removal. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) conducted the investigation that led to the sentencing. They will remove him to El Salvador once he completes his prison sentence.

Carlos Victor Galdamez Torres, 30, pleaded guilty Jan. 15 to illegally re-entering the United States after being convicted of an aggravated felony.

“ERO consistently targets and arrests gang members and other individuals who violate U.S. immigration laws and pose threats to public safety,” said ERO Washington Field Office Director Yvonne Evans. “In doing so, we not only uphold the nation’s immigration laws, but we also make our communities safer.”

According to court records and evidence from this case, Galdamez Torres is a known member of the MS-13 street gang. He was previously convicted in 2005 by the Superior Court County of Los Angeles for second degree robbery, a felony. The robbery conviction classified Galdamez Torres as an aggravated felon. As a result, he was ordered removed from the United States, and ERO officers removed him to El Salvador Jan. 8, 2007.

Galdamez Torres, however, illegally returned to the United States. ICE arrested Galdamez Torres in 2010, and he was prosecuted in the Eastern District of Virginia for unlawful re-entry. ERO officers removed him to El Salvador March 30, 2011.

At some point thereafter, Galdamez Torres, once again, illegally re-entered the United States. ERO officers arrested him Dec. 12 in Fairfax.